Xmas Eve in the Galilee

I am sitting in Aroma cafe in Carmiel. It's Christmas eve. What's it like here?

Well, not at all like Xmas in the US or Europe. First of all, Christmas here, isn't neccessarily celebrated on the 25th of December. The Orthodox, Greek and Russian, the Catholics and the Coptics all celebrate on different days. Sylvester - which is December 31st - is celebrated by all. In the Christian villages surrounding me, you can both hear and see fireworks all night long.

I live in the mountains, and it provides a great view!

On Saturday, I spent the day in Nazareth at a Jewish-Arab peace meeting. The silent peace walk attracts people who want to make a difference in an immediate, grass roots way.

In Nazareth, people were busy getting ready for Christmas, which IS celebrated tonight and tomorrow. There were lights all over the place. I stopped for knafi at Mahroum the famous eastern sweets manufacturer. Knafi is an eastern sweet made of warm goats cheese, sugar syrup and threaded wheat made on huge trays and kept warm over steaming water. It was delicious and fun to watch people come in to purchase large trays of sweets for the holiday.

I spent a few hours sitting in traffic, inching my way through the city. I didn't mind though. It was a pleasure to people watch through the window windshield. Multi colored lights twinkled as they chaperoned my slow moving people watching adventure.

Happy holidays.